If 60% of your bookings come from Booking.com and you are paying a 15% commission, you are giving up a huge share of your revenue. On €100,000 in annual bookings, that is €15,000 leaving the campsite every year — enough to hire a part-time employee or upgrade the facilities.
What a booking engine does
A booking engine is the system that allows guests to check availability and book directly from your website. It is not a simple inquiry form: it is a complete system that manages real-time availability, pitch selection, online payment, automatic confirmation, and integration with the property management system's calendar.
How much you are paying OTAs: the calculation
| OTA | Average campsite commission | On €100,000 in bookings/year | Net impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | 15–17% | € 15.000–17.000 | Like losing a month's revenue |
| Expedia/Hotels.com | 18–22% | € 18.000–22.000 | — |
| Airbnb | 3% host + 14% guest | € 3.000 (but perceived price +14%) | — |
| Camping.info | 8–12% | € 8.000–12.000 | — |
| Direct booking | 0% (only gateway costs, ~1.4%) | € 1.400 | Net savings: up to € 20.600/year |
Why guests still book on Booking.com even if they would prefer the direct website
- The campsite website does not have real-time availability (it only shows an email form).
- The booking process on the website is longer and more cumbersome.
- It is not possible to pay online through the direct website.
- There is no immediate confirmation: guests have to wait hours or days.
- The website is not optimized for mobile.
A professional booking engine removes all these barriers. The typical result is a shift of 15–30% of bookings from OTAs to direct bookings within 6–12 months of activation.
Features of a good booking engine for campsites
- Interactive pitch map: guests can visually choose where they want to stay — lake view, close to the facilities, away from the noise.
- Synchronization with the property management calendar: zero overbooking, availability always up to date.
- Integrated online payment: Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer with automatic receipt.
- Packages and extras: guests can add bike rental, pool access, and breakfast when booking.
- Multi-language: at least Italian, English, and German for campsites with foreign guests.
- Mobile-first: 70% of campsite bookings are made from smartphones.
How to encourage direct bookings
- Offer a 5% discount for direct bookings (you are still saving 10–12% compared with Booking.com).
- Include a free service for direct bookings (guaranteed pitch selection, late check-out).
- Send an email after every stay with a direct link for the next booking.
- Add a sentence to your Booking.com profile inviting guests to visit the website for future bookings (within the limits permitted by Booking's T&Cs).
- Use a QR code on guests' bracelets that leads to the booking engine.